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SAN
MARCOS, TEXAS--The
New Mexico State University football team (1-11) concluded its season on
Saturday, Dec. 1, with a 66-28 loss to Texas State University.

The Aggies finished the game with
419 total yards of offense. NM State ran the ball for 171 yards and threw
for 248 yards. Defensively, NM State held Texas State to 82 passing
yards.

A group of Aggies finished the game
with season records. Wide receiver Jarrel Brown finished the game with a
career-high in receiving yards with four catches for 54 yards. Wide
receiver Austin Franklin had a season-high for kick return yards with 171
yards. Running back Germi Morrison finished the game with a career-high
129 rushing yards off 19 carries and one touchdown, giving himself and the
Aggies their first 100-yard performance from a running back all season.

Also on offense, Quarterback Andrew
Manley completed 16 of 29 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns. Manley
also ran for an additional touchdown. Tight end Trevor Walls finished the
game with 15 receiving yards and one touchdown. On defense, linebacker
Trashaun Nixon and defensive tackle Donte Savage accumulated eight tackles
each. Nixon also added one sack to his bottom line. Safeties George
Callender and Davis Cazares each had six tackles.

The Aggies quickly went to work at
the start of the game, scoring a touchdown on their first possession of the
game. Morrison opened up the game with a 37 yard run for the first play
of the game, marking a season-best mark for a single play. Morrison’s
longest run prior to Texas State was a 31 yard run set against Auburn.
The drive concluded with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Manley to Walls to put
the Aggies up 7-0.

After Texas State answered with a
touchdown of their own, NM State scored again on their second possession of the
game. A couple of key third down conversions through the air put the
Aggies in the red zone. Manley capped off the drive with a 5-yard run to
put the Aggies up 14-7. Manley’s rushing touchdown was the second of his
career.

Texas State broke out a long run to
score again, tying the score at 14-14. NM State answered with another
efficient drive for a third touchdown in as many attempts. Manley
continued to throw the ball effectively, producing a 75 percent completion rate
through the Aggies’ first three touchdown drives. Morrison broke a couple
tackles with a 14-yard touchdown run to conclude the drive.

The first quarter ended with the
Aggies up 21-14, signifying the highest total amount of points the Aggies
scored in the first quarter all season. Manley finished the first quarter
going 9-12 with 139 passing yards and one touchdown. Manley also ran for
one touchdown to put his total to two. Three different Aggies finished
the first quarter with at least 40 receiving yards. Wide receivers
Kemonte Bateman finished with two catches for 40 yards, Jarrel Brown finished
with three catches for 44 yards and Austin Franklin finished with two catches
for 41 yards. Morrison finished the first quarter with nine carries for
66 yards.

After a couple touchdowns on defense
and special teams for Texas State to put the Bobcats up 49-21 towards the end
of the second quarter, Franklin turned a long kick return into another scoring
drive for the Aggies. Manley completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to
Bateman to bring to score to 49-28.

NM State concluded the first half
with 277 total yards of offense, 233 of those yards through the air. The
Aggies were 4-7 on converting third down and went 3-3 on scoring opportunities
in the red zone. Manley finished with 233 passing yards for two
touchdowns off 15 completions. Bateman led all Aggies in receive yards
after the first half with 85 yards from four catches and one touchdown.
Franklin finished the second half with 76 yards off four catches and Brown had
54 yards off four catches. Morrison led all Aggies in rushing yards with
75 yards and one touchdown from 14 carries. On defense, linebacker
Trashaun Nixon led in tackles with five. The NM State secondary held the
Texas State passing game to a mere 27 yards by the end of the first half.
On special teams, Franklin’s return yards totaled 135, bringing his all-purpose
yards to 211 by the end of the first half.

The Aggies buckled down on defense
in the third quarter, holding the Bobcats to just a field goal to put Texas
State up 52-28 by the end of the quarter.

Colwell took more snaps in the fourth quarter in the
wildcat formation, finishing the game with 37 yards rushing off three carries.